The Truth about Majora's Mask
by yaphi1
Summary: Anyone who has ever wondered about Majora's Mask will probably enjoy this story.  Knowing a tiny bit about Twilight Princess will help too.


Many have wondered about the origins of Majora's Mask. Few know of the scroll that contained the dark relic's history. For ages, the scroll was thought lost to time. Amongst those who had heard of it, most thought its existence was a lie. Then something changed: the scroll was found. Its edges were charred and torn, but the writing was intact. It appeared as though the words had simply refused to burn. The scroll's contents have been transcribed below for the benefit of those worthy of hidden knowledge. If you are reading this, you are among a privileged few. You will soon know the truth.

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><p>Legends speak of three golden goddesses who brought into existence the land that would become known as Hyrule. Farore, the goddess of courage, brought life into the new land. Din, the goddess of power, was in awe of her sister's creation. As a reward to Farore, Din decided to help life create beauty of its own: arts, monuments, music, and more. In order to create beauty, the inhabitants of Hyrule would need to understand the power with which the goddesses had imbued them. To help everyone along, Din scattered clues throughout the land. As the inhabitants of Hyrule began to discover their power, there came a golden age of culture and learning. Din looked upon the land with the pride of a parent who had seen her children accomplish something great. Farore was overjoyed with what Din had done. Only Nayru, the goddess of wisdom, felt uneasy.<p>

A certain group of beings had become too advanced in the ways of magic. These beings were known as the Twili. The Twili sought power with an appetite Nayru found alarming. When Nayru told her sisters of her concerns, Din dismissed her, saying that the Twili's search for power was nothing more than a healthy quest for self-improvement, a quest that would keep them too busy and satisfied to cause any real trouble. Nayru argued that power was like an appetizer, making those who tasted it hungry for more. Torn between her sisters, Farore suggested a compromise: give the Triforce extra protection. That way, the inhabitants of Hyrule would still be able to learn and grow, but they would never steal the ultimate power. Though Din and Nayru were not entirely satisfied, they agreed to the compromise. In order to protect the Triforce, the goddesses created three guardian spirits, whom they named Lin, Zel, and Gan. For generations afterwards, these spirits would be reincarnated in forms most commonly known as Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf.

For a time, the inhabitants of the world lived in peace, and the goddesses had little to worry about. As years passed, the people's contentment grew into boredom, which in turn grew into a restless hunger for something more. Scattered fights broke out. Tensions rose. Eventually, the land fell into full-scale war.

A wicked Twili by the name of Majora realized that, with all the commotion, now would be the perfect time to steal the Triforce...

But why did Majora want the Triforce?

Majora was an outcast who had always liked twisted games. He couldn't enjoy anything unless the stakes were unreasonably high. When the war started, Majora realized he had found his ideal game. The only problem was that he could not control it. He began to be jealous of fate, for fate could control people like pawns, deciding who lived and who died. Majora would have done anything to be like fate. He knew there was only one way to gain that kind of power. Thus began his obsession with claiming the Triforce.

In order to obtain the Triforce, Majora knew he had to defeat the guardians, but there was a problem. The only ones powerful enough to defeat the guardians, aside from the goddesses, were the guardians themselves. Majora realized he would have to make the guardians fight against one another. The thought filled him with glee, for here was the type of game he loved.

He set to work upon his strategy immediately. He knew that the guardian spirits were stronger when they were united. In order to succeed, Majora suspected he only needed to isolate one of them. Of the three forces, power was the easiest to corrupt, so Majora targeted Gan.

That night, Gan had a strange dream. He was standing at the base of a small hill with a single tree at the top. All around, grass stretched out for as far as he could see. The colors of this place seemed to glow with a surreal light. Two children sat by the tree. They looked like younger versions of Lin and Zel. Gan looked at his hands. It seemed he had become younger too. As he got closer to the tree, he noticed that Lin and Zel were whispering. He called out a greeting, and they froze, faces flushed with guilt. Before Gan could make sense of what he had seen, the dream faded.

When Gan awoke, he felt uneasy. The dream had made him realize the suspicions that had always haunted the depths of his heart. What if Lin and Zel were after his power?

For the next few days, Gan began to notice things he hadn't noticed before. He was not sure if it was his imagination, but Lin and Zel seemed to be acting differently. There were more whispers, more meetings with just the two of them, and more uncomfortable interactions. One night, Gan found his bed full of hidden razors. Someone had tried to kill him, and he suspected Lin and Zel. He yelled out and cursed their names. They were his only friends. Even when they acted suspicious, he had tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, but now they had gone too far.

In the shadows, Majora laughed. His plan was working perfectly.

Flushed with rage, Gan confronted Lin and Zel. When they denied any wrongdoing, he grew even more upset. How could they lie to him? How could they betray him like this? Unable to control himself, he let out a blast of power, knocking Lin and Zel to the ground. Lin got up and stood between Zel and Gan. Zel insisted that she did not want a fight, but Gan said she should have thought of that before she conspired to kill him. Lin told Gan to stop accusing Zel. Gan asked what Lin was going to do about it. Zel spoke out, but it was too late. Lin and Gan had gotten into a fight.

As Zel tried to break up the fight, Majora watched and waited. The battle seemed to be an even one. The goddesses really had made the guardians in perfect balance to one another. If Majora's plan was going to work, he would have to take action. He hid in the bushes and hexed Lin, helping Gan to win the fight. Soon Lin lay on the grass, mortally wounded.

As Lin slipped in and out of consciousness, he had a vision of Majora. In the vision, Majora offered Lin a choice: use a dark and dangerous type of power, or die. Lin chose to use the power. Emerging from the brink of death as the Fierce Diety, Lin defeated Gan easily. When Lin had no one else to fight, he became dangerous. The Fierce Diety's power demanded to be used at any cost, and Lin didn't want to harm anyone. The resulting struggle to control himself tore his spirit in half, thus bringing about the birth of Dark Lin. Lin and Dark Lin fought, using power that had multiplied since Marjora had given it to Lin. Perfectly matched, Lin and Dark Lin destroyed each other, and the resulting explosion of energy caused the first great fire of Hyrule, thus forming the Gerudo Desert. When the fight ended, Majora collected the power from Lin and Dark Lin and kept it for himself.

With two of his enemies out of the way and newfound power that had been multiplied when Lin had used it, Majora had little to stop him from going for the Triforce. All around, wars continued to rage as Hyrule descended into chaos.

Realizing how badly events had spiraled out of control, the goddesses intervened and banished the Twili. Majora didn't want to be banished with his people, so he hid his newfound powers in a set of masks and disguised himself as a traveling salesman.

A note from the scribe:  
>Now that I have committed the truth to writing, I fear what may happen to me. For all those who may pursue me, know that these words are enchanted to be everlasting. They can't be burned or erased, so don't try. As for me, I know I am in grave danger, but even so, I felt it my duty to write this. I don't know where Majora has gone or what he plans to do, but it frightens me to imagine him sitting in a shop somewhere selling his masks to kids.<p>

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><p><strong>Note: If you decide to review this story, please don't post any spoilers. Thanks so much.<strong>


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